


heroes who are queer

by dustandashes



Category: bare: A Pop Opera - Hartmere/Intrabartolo
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fairy Tales, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Peter has kids, completely self-indulgent, it's just a cute little thing, mentions of past character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 20:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14028126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dustandashes/pseuds/dustandashes
Summary: Will raises an eyebrow as if to ask why on earth Peter needs a children’s book, and Peter doesn’t know how to explain. After all, how does anyone tell their husband of twelve years that they need to buy a random kids’ book in honor of a high school sweetheart who died years ago?A fic where Peter discovers that there is such a thing as heroes who are queer.





	heroes who are queer

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic on this website and I'm kinda nervous, but I love Bare and couldn't get this idea out of my head until I wrote it. I hope y'all enjoy!

Peter is walking through the bookstore with his husband William when he sees it. The kids are cuddled up on a beanbag with Grandma Claire, who’s reading them a story. They’re adorably invested: the younger one, Jamie, is sitting on her lap and staring at the pictures while their older one, Elias, is content to sit beside her, head resting on her arm. The sight warms Peter’s heart, and he’s glad that the kids get to live within walking distance of their grandma and spend so much time with her. More selfishly, he’s glad that he and Will are free to wander around, looking for books and just enjoying a few minutes alone as a couple.

They’re in a part of the kids’ section that consists almost entirely of fairy tales, so Peter’s not paying attention to the books around him. The kids prefer more realistic stories. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of one of the volumes. On the front are two men, a prince and a commoner from the looks of it, with their hands clasped together. On instinct, he goes to the shelf and picks up the book. His instincts served him well, because he sees the Stonewall Book Award on the cover. As he flips through it, there are multiple stories of princes falling in love with each other, princesses heroically saving each others’ lives, and even a story about a “prince” who really is a princess (and eventually becomes the queen). He closes the book, holding it tight to his chest. 

“The kids don’t need a book of fairy tales,” Will points out, glancing meaningfully at the book in Peter’s arms. 

Peter shakes his head. “I know. But we need to buy it. For me.” 

Will raises an eyebrow as if to ask why on earth Peter needs a children’s book, and Peter doesn’t know how to explain. After all, how does anyone tell their husband of twelve years that they need to buy a random kids’ book in honor of a high school sweetheart who died years ago?

 _“There’s no such thing as heroes who are queer!” Jason shouted. His face was streaked with tears, and it broke Peter’s heart. He wanted to tell Jason that he was wrong, that_ they _could be queer heroes, but he knew Jason wouldn’t listen. When he finally spoke, it was nothing more than a broken goodbye._  

Peter was completely crushed when Jason died. And somehow, he kept coming back to that one thing Jason had told him. _There’s no such thing as heroes who are queer_. What if there were? Would it have saved Jason to see that kind of representation? Even now, he can’t answer the question with certainty. But he wants to take the chance. He wants to support whatever author had been amazing enough to write literal queer heroes.

“Stonewall Book Award, huh?” Will asks, taking the book from him. His face softens. “Is this a high school thing?”

Peter doesn’t talk about high school, not unless he’s meeting up with Ivy or Nadia. The thought of talking about it with someone who wasn’t there is terrifying to him. It’s just not something he can do. But Will is probably the sweetest person Peter knows, and he loves him _so much_ for knowing better than to push and pry. All Peter told him was that he had a boyfriend with homophobic parents, but he’s pretty sure his mom took it upon herself to fill Will in a little more. She doesn’t know everything either, but he suspects that she told Will how the homophobia Peter had mentioned led to Jason’s death. And she probably told him how he died.

“Yeah,” Peter answers simply. He takes the book back, feeling drawn to it in a way that even he can’t explain. 

“Then we’ll buy it. We’ll try reading it to the kids, and if they don’t like it, it’ll be for us.” William presses a kiss to Peter’s forehead, and he tilts his head up for a real kiss. 

“I love you,” Peter says with a smile. 

“I love you too.” The exchange is sweet and simple and completely natural to them, something Peter never has to think about. It’s everything that high school Peter ever dreamed of.

They walk back to Grandma Claire and the kids, content to listen as she finishes the story. Jamie climbs onto Will’s lap and Elias reaches out for Peter, creating what feels like a perfect happy family. Grandma Claire only reads for a few minutes more, and then they purchase their small pile of books and head back home.

That night, Peter decides to switch the kids’ bedtime story up and read one of the queer fairy tales to Elias and Jamie. It’s the story that the image on the cover depicts, and it’s cute and sweet. But there’s a part in the middle where the commoner boy is telling the prince how he’s not ready to tell the king they’re in love since there’s no way a lowly commoner like him would be allowed to be with the prince next in line for the throne. It’s clever how the author stuck to classic fairy tale tropes rather than applying real world views of sexuality and gender, but it’s all too similar to his arguments with Jason, and he’s starting to choke up a bit.

Will takes the book and starts reading then, and Peter is so relieved. He watches the kids’ reactions, and he’s pleasantly surprised to see their eyes wide with wonder. They’re enjoying it, and when Will reads “and they all lived happily ever after” and closes the book, they even look a little disappointed. They’re usually eager to go to bed after storytime, so something is definitely different.

“Can we have more stories like that?” Jamie asks, looking up at Peter with big, pleading eyes.

“Like what? Fairy tales?” Peter asks. “I thought you guys didn’t like those.”

“No, stories about people like our family,” Elias interjects.

Peter and Will exchange a look, and to Peter’s surprise, there are tears in his husband’s eyes to match the ones welling in his. He was so wrapped up in his own memories of Jason that he hadn’t even considered his own family’s reactions. Of course this kind of representation would have value to them too. He and Jason weren’t the only people who would benefit from books like this one. His family, happy though they are, still stands out. He can’t protect the kids from seeing how different they are.

“There are more stories in the book,” Peter promises. “And I’ll look for more books like this one, okay?”

Identical grins light up Elias and Jamie’s faces, and Peter goes to switch the light off while Will tucks them in. He can’t remember the last time bedtime stories went this smoothly. 

Peter has plans to meet up with Nadia for coffee the next day, so he decides to bring the book along. He’s glad that his family loves the stories, but he wants to show them to someone who understands what made him look at the book in the first place. If any of his old classmates will get it, he knows it will be Nadia.

Nadia’s looking better lately. Like Peter, although she’s still in contact with their friends from Saint Cecilia’s, her life is mostly full of new people. She smiles more easily, walks more confidently, speaks more warmly. She’s softened since high school, discovered happiness. It’s the change she deserves.

“Peter!” she exclaims, pulling him into a hug when she catches sight of him. “I just got this great job at the local theatre. I’m Lady Macbeth! We start rehearsal in a week." 

“Congratulations!” Peter always knew Nadia had talent. She was the best actor among all of them, Jason included. It comes as no surprise to him that she is successful as an actress now. “Send me the dates. Will and I will make sure to come.” Shakespeare has always been a favorite of Peter’s, and he knows Nadia will kill it in the Scottish play.

“You’d better show,” she teases, grinning. “So what’s that you’re holding?” She glances at the book, her face obviously full of curiosity. 

“It’s… A book,” Peter said slowly, unsure of how to explain without sounding like an idiot. 

“Well, no shit. Why’d you bring it?”

He sighs and sits down, and she takes a seat across from him. “So Will and I took the kids to the bookstore and I found this book of fairy tales. It’s… It’s all about gay and transgender heroes. It’s amazing, Nadia. We read one of the stories to the kids last night, and they _loved_ it. And… It reminded me of Jason. Something he said to me once in a fight.”

Nadia’s face softens, and she reaches for the book. Peter gladly hands it over and watches as she flipped through the pages. She gets to the one that Peter read the previous night, and he can read her face easily. She’s thinking exactly what had gone through his mind when he first saw the book.

“God, if Jason had this book when we were kids…” Her voice trails off. “I can’t believe this is real.”

Jason may have been an important connection Peter and Nadia share, but he doesn’t come up in most of their conversations. Some painful memories don’t need to be dragged up constantly. But today is different. Peter feels like he _can_ talk about Jason, and he doesn’t want to cry when he opens his mouth. It’s a huge improvement for him. 

“I wonder… I mean, you know I’m not religious, but I can’t help but wonder if there was some element of fate here,” Nadia says.

Peter nods. “I get it,” he agrees. “It kind of feels like a second chance that I can give to Jamie and Elias. Things didn’t go well for us, but for them, it doesn’t have to be that way.” 

If there is a heaven, he knows Jason is up there watching with a huge smile on his face. If there’s access to books in heaven, Jason has probably read this one a million times. He probably knows it by heart. Maybe he’s the reason Peter found it.

Or maybe it was just luck. Incredible luck. A thousand coincidences that allowed the book to be published and reach that bookstore. A thousand more for it to be there the day Peter and Will visited so Peter saw it and picked it up. Each and every one with impossible odds, but it happened anyway.

Fate or coincidence, Peter couldn’t be more grateful for this book, and when he sees the small smile on Nadia’s face as her fingers trace the cover, he knows she feels the same way. There’s something about this book that touches them in a way Peter can’t describe. They spend a much longer time talking together than usual, and it’s almost dinnertime when they finally part ways.

At home, after Peter reads the kids another story and tucks them in, he curls up in bed with Will. “I saw Nadia today,” he says, and Will nods. He knew that already. “I showed her the fairy tales.” Will looks surprised, but instead of pausing to explain, Peter pushes forward. He knows he won’t have the courage to keep talking if he stops at all. “Then we talked about Jason. My high school boyfriend. He was her brother. And… these fairy tales have helped me. I think I’m ready to tell you what happened with Jason.”

Will nods and smooths a thumb over Peter’s cheek soothingly. “I’m ready to listen,” he promises softly.

Peter tells him everything. He starts with meeting Jason in middle school, describing how he worked so hard to repress his feelings. Then came freshman year, when they confessed their feelings and Peter couldn’t help but cry from relief when he found out that Jason felt the same way. The few years of a wonderful secret until everything fell apart in senior year. Peter’s growing confidence in who he was, Matt’s jealousy, Jason’s fear as pressure grew… His voice cracks as he describes the breakup, how they came back together  just before Jason died, and Will just holds him close.

“So that’s the high school thing,” Peter finishes, trying to keep his tone light. He knows he failed when he sees the sadness in Will’s eyes, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Will knows and nothing’s changed.

Will presses the gentlest of kisses to his lips. “Thank you for telling me,” he says simply. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Peter smiles slightly, feeling like a weight has been lifted. Even now, decades later, he still has been keeping Jason a secret. He’s glad he finally let that secret go. It’s the least they both deserve.


End file.
